By the Lake
by SpringbloomOpal
Summary: By day, a withered cherry blossom tree. By night, the mysterious girl by the lake. Deep, forbidden secrets lie within the confines of the woods;perhaps only Syaoran can restore what once was. History is rewritten;the past shapes the present. (Hiatus)
1. Prologue

**A/N: **My newest project, hopefully to replace Set Me Free, which currently has Chapter 4-9 missing (Only I can be so stupid). How can I put it without sounding so cliché? I'm back! 

**Summary: **By day, a withered cherry blossom tree. By night, the mysterious girl by the lake. When a young woodcutter who is not what he seems stumbles across her, their friendship helps uncover the deep, unbidden secrets of long ago…

**Disclaimer: **Card Captor Sakura is not mine. Nice thought, though.

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By the Lake 

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Prologue 

_"I think you fool and daring to oppose the great Clow Reed."_

_Sakura didn't even have to look up to know who had spoken. It was such a typical Tomoyo thing to say that she'd grown to expect the same sentence at least twenty times a day. She dropped the lavender sprigs into her woven basket, arranging them side by side, absent-mindedly. _

_"Aren't you even going to say anything?" _

_Sakura sighed. It was easy for her friend, who had always been the well-mannered obedient girl everybody expected her to be. Sakura knew that her own auburn wisps were unkempt and filthy in comparison to Daidouji Tomoyo's long, silvery curls that hung like moonshine down her graceful back. She could never be the dutiful daughter or the submissive wife. There were too many people, too many lives, and she had too much spirit._

_"One day you'll realise that I'm right and the world is wrong."_

The world, even when it was against her, was breathtaking. There was no other word for it. Sakura let her fingertips trail the cool, silvery water and watched the ripples as the moonlight danced upon the lake's surface. It was a crisp, bitter night and the lush, uncut blades of grass were damp beneath her small form. It had been the peace and the tranquility that had drawn her to this place on such a night as this.

The kind of night when the inexplicable happens ands something stirs the sleeping from their slumber.

_"Don't go," The grip on her shoulders was firm, but gentle, almost as if he were demanding and pleading at the same time. "He'll come after you. To challenge him is a death wish." His eyes were devoid of anything but irritation at his sister's foolish ideals, but the crack in his voice gave all way. The hurt that radiated from him was almost enough to make her change her mind. Almost. _

_"Don't worry, 'nee-chan," she whispered as she enveloped him in a warm, reassuring hug. "I can take care of myself."_

The silence had been unbroken – undisturbed – so the first snap rang loud and clear in the velvety darkness and left a chill running down her spine. Nobody ever sought her in the serene, untouched sanctuary of the woods. She always made the journey to the villages whenever anybody was in dire need of her abilities. 

The second snap was more muffled, as if somebody was trying very hard to be as quiet as possible. Whatever or whoever it was out there knew what they were after and obviously didn't want to get caught. 

Sakura held her breath, hoping and praying that 'it' would not venture into the small clearing where she now lay, too afraid to move a single muscle in her body. Her gasp was caught in her throat as a tall, mysterious figure emerged from the depths of the towering oaks. It turned its head and seemed to stare right into her; she could only tremble slightly as she gazed into a pair of cool, impenetrable orbs of ice. 

"Leave me, Sakura. Please." 

_She stepped back at the harsh tone in her friend's voice and felt the bile rise in her throat. "Chiharu, I will not go until I am certain you are better." She moved to place a hesitant hand on the other girl's forehead and was shocked when Chiharu edged back shakily, the look in her eyes unreadable._

_"I am fine. You must go. Leave. Leave us all. You will bring nothing but trouble to our village." The words cut and stung at her bitterly, but Sakura only wanted to make her friend at ease._

_"I am only trying to _help _our village. What will you have done if I had not come? Clow Reed is currently in Europe and, even then, I am sure he would only attend to you after those with higher station." She did not realise her own voice had risen until her friend's had become louder to match her own._

_"You're _wrong," _the russet-haired girl hissed furiously. "How _dare _you? You have a lot of nerve to say that of the great Clow Reed! And even _if _he would not come for me, there have been rumours. Yamazaki has heard things. Clow will be arriving soon. And do you know _why _he's coming?" She let out a bark of laughter. "He's coming for _you. _If you really care about us, you should leave."_

_Sakura was aware of the sudden churning in her gut. So the rumours were true. She had heard them too, and had put a blind ear to the whispers circulating around the village. But Chiharu was right. She could not have her village punished for what she had caused._

_"You need plenty of fluids and bed rest," she said quietly. "The herbs I have given you should help."_

_And then she turned and walked away._

It was at times like these that Kinomoto Sakura fully understood why Clow Reed was awed by many and feared by more. His eyes emanated a fire that 'anger' came short of describing. She shivered underneath his gaze, so icy and yet so dangerous – like jagged glaciers ready to pierce her flesh. His long raven hair flowed behind him, like Medusa's snakes, or…or…like binds ready to pin her down and take what did not belong to him. Her good name would be ruined, then.

He seemed to read her mind and he chuckled. "I am not the kind of man who will take what is not mine. However," there was a pregnant pause. "However, are you aware Miss Sakura that a law has been passed forbidding all but myself from practicing magic?"

He did not leave her room to answer. "And that such infringement of the law is highly punishable?"

"If you would only let m -" 

"I am a tolerant man, I think, Miss Sakura. I ask you once – and only once – that you halt your practices of magic. Otherwise…" His unspoken threat hung in the air.

_Agree, _she told herself. _Agree and forget this all happened. Go back home and settle down like everybody else wants you to do…_ But then images of countless children crying, or men lying pale and still in their beds flashed into her head. She couldn't do this to them. She couldn't.

"No."

_"You will belong to somebody else one day, Sakura." Fujitaka searched her face and felt his heart ache at her resemblance to Nadeshiko. "No is not a word you must use. It is your duty to do as your husband wishes." She was so young. He couldn't think how he could survive without her. How he wished he could keep her his little girl for all eternity._

His eyes widened in shock – he had not expected her to defy him – then blazed furiously. "Very well," he seethed. "You had your chance. I warned you. I warned you." He raised his arms and Sakura braced herself.

She felt the pain in her legs first, like knives slicing at her mercilessly. Over and over again. She opened her mouth to scream. One long, last piercing scream that tore apart the night, and then all went black.

And all was silent, save for the wind whistling past the branches of the lone cherry blossom tree, by the lake…****

**Did you like it? Haha. It's okay if you didn't. It all seems rather…mysterious, don't you think? I mean, what happened to Sakura? Well, duh. Have you read the summary? ^^ Anyway, next chapter Syaoran shows up so keep yourself tuned in, guys! Thanks. Read, review, flame. No pressure.**

**The Birth of the Story: **Half the credit goes to AngelSweetie, who, although doesn't write Card Captor Sakura and has stalled her writing for who knows how long, came up with the idea in the first place and generously gave it to me to work with. 

At first we intended to make it humorous with all these cheesy one-liners (Are you sure you didn't deflower her, Syaoran? -_-;;). I'm still using the lines, but it's going to be a tad bit more serious than we anticipated. Just a tad. 


	2. The Hidden Message

**A/N: **Thanks for all your reviews. This is for you guys. 

**Disclaimer: **I claim no legal rights to CCS. I repeat, I claim no rights to CCS. I claim no lefts either. In fact, the name SpringbloomOpal (or my real name, for that matter) and the words 'ownership of Card Captor Sakura' do not go in the same sentence. _Ever. _

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By the Lake 

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**Chapter 1: The Hidden Message**

**6 Years Later**

His brow glistened like a lush, dew-coated field. Syaoran wiped at it impatiently and collapsed enthusiastically into the moist grass below, shaking the prickly remains of crumpled leaves from his unkempt hair. Taking a long, blissful swig from the flask that usually hung precariously at his hip, he let the cool, refreshing water dribble languorously down his chin, soaking his face, neck and shirt.

His entire body ached and the sharp sting of sunburn that stretched across his exposed flesh wasn't doing much for him either. 

Yukito flopped down beside him, his usually pale skin looking just as bad – if not worse for the burning rays they had endured throughout the day. Curse Ichiro! The foreman had been working them tirelessly all day. The man didn't know the _meaning _of mercy, let alone how to use it properly. 

"Get up, you lazy lumps of flesh." Ah. Speak of the devil. "We're not even halfway done yet." He loomed over them from his great height and frowned at the incompetent fools he'd been given to work with. The kids thought they were sons of the bloody high-class, for the sake of Kami! Not the good-for-nothing street beggars that they were. 

"But the pile's humungous," Syaoran protested, although he knew by know that his objections were futile. He pointed towards the direction of the clearing where the rest of his companions were hauling the first batch of logs into carts. At least, they _would be_ when their foreman went to check up on them a few minutes later. Right now they were probably lazing around in a drunken stupor. 

Ichiro _hated _it when they smuggled ale and beer from the nearby taverns and it seemed they only did it more just to spite him. As if remembering what had happened the last time he'd left his employees to their own devices, he gave the pair one last glare before scurrying off towards the clearing. 

Sighing, Syaoran reluctantly helped himself up, though he made sure to take his time. "Come on, Yukito. We'd best get a move on before Ichiro decides we're not worth keeping." Without the woodcutter's lodging he would have no shelter from the cold nights and fierce winds, and despite the hard mattresses and insufficient covering he still had to admit that the dilapidated cabin they all shared was better than nothing.

"You go on ahead," the older man mumbled tiredly, giving a small half-hearted wave as if to shoo him away. 

Syaoran didn't complain. Everybody regarded Yukito like a child; perhaps it was the pale, white skin, or the fragility and gracefulness the silver-haired youth seemed to emanate – maybe even both. 

He set off, without a destination in mind, disappearing into the thicket of towering trunks and crooked branches. Somewhere and nowhere and everywhere else in between. Anywhere but home.

^~^~^~^~^~^

One would need only a quick glance to be reduced to a quaking mass of nerves. It wasn't the fine clothing, though they were certainly rich and embroidered with the tiniest intricate details. And it wasn't the eyes, although they were truly something else; intense and deep, the colour of ruby and blood and passion. 

It was the way she held herself, with such superiority and confidence that the villagers knew at once that this woman must be treated with complete and utter respect. 

The dust rose and fell, momentarily clouding her vision, but she didn't bother nor care. For many months now she had trekked through wild terrain, endless valleys, uncouth drunkards, and she would continue to do so for many more. She was a woman. A woman of high-class standing, but a woman nonetheless. A woman on a mission…

^~^~^~^~^~^

The first thing Syaoran noticed as soon as he woke from his slumber was how quickly time seemed to have passed. The sky no longer bore even the tiniest hint of the blazing fireball that had encompassed it during his last waking period. 

The second thing he noticed was that he was alone - and the words 'alone' and 'dark' was never a good combination. Even the most foolish knew never to set foot in the woods when dusk had set in. There had been many a tale of curious travelers who were never seen again. Of course, Syaoran supposed there was more fiction than fact in these stories – perhaps, in their own intoxicated daftness these travelers had merely lost their virginity to a poor, defenseless deer and in their humiliation had taken a different name at their return to the civilized world – but years of countless horrific tales would leave even the most perfected skeptics at least a little wary.

Where were Yukito and the others? 

Syaoran growled. The idiot had probably fallen asleep under the sun and had forgotten about him as soon the words 'dinner' and 'rest' had been uttered. A night of boozing and ladies would ensue at the local tavern, followed by a late night if they were lucky. At this rate nobody would find him until he was sopping wet and wild eyed the next morning. 

Well, he had two options: stay where he was and try to catch some sleep, especially since he had a big day ahead of him tomorrow – yelling himself hoarse and whatnot. The other option was to wander blindly in the dark in an attempt to stumble his way toward the entrance.  

What to do, what to do? 

Never one to idle away good time, Syaoran opted for the latter. _He _sure as hell wasn't going to stay around waiting for some possessed deer to molest him. That thought made him hasten his steps. Was madness creeping in already? If so, then good lord - he was a dead man. 

Hours later, he froze. He'd sensed it before he'd seen it. His eyes scanned this way and that as he tried to see past dark, ominous shapes, quelling the panic that was rapidly rising in his chest. Crazy, irrational thought after another entered his mind, the next more gruesome than the last. 

_Breathe, Syaoran. In, out, in, out, in –  _"Sacred shit!"

"It's not wise to be out here at this time." The voice was gentle and kindly, nothing like the deep, malevolent laughter he'd imagined. He eyed the owner of the voice warily. It was all so surreal – what in the world was a young woman such as she doing here, with her little woven basket slung over her slender golden arm. She wore a heavily stained smock and her skin was smudged with dirt, as if she had been digging around in the earth all night. But it was her eyes, that mesmerizing rich green, which captivated him most. An emerald shimmering like a guiding star in the dark. 

"Who _are_ you?"  He was shocked, to say the least. Never in his right mind would he expect to find somebody else roaming the woods right now.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, then shut it again, looking almost…pained. A second later her eyes were bright again and she smiled. "Come. You shouldn't be wandering around at this hour. I'll take you somewhere you can stay 'til the morning." 

He looked her up and down suspiciously. She looked harmless enough, but looks could be deceiving and Syaoran did not want to meet his death because of a stupid little slip-up. 

She had been delicately weaving her way between closely packed trees and now paused, turning to acknowledge his reluctance. 

"Oh, I won't hurt you. I promise." 

He didn't know whether it was her eyes that made him trust her so infinitely, or perhaps her gentle nature, but nevertheless he found himself trailing her footsteps, occasionally ducking beneath slender branches. She was so fast and sure, it made him wonder if she had lived in these woods her whole life. 

They halted suddenly and Syaoran found himself at a clearing and was relieved to find that at least here he was able to see more clearly. He was surprised to see that the moon had been full all this time, but he supposed that the great horde of trees had blocked the light beforehand. A lake shimmered invitingly a few steps away and he sighed, feeling his muscles relax.

He couldn't explain it but this place… - it _drew _him in. Just like the girl. It was crazy, illogical, unexplainable and yet to Syaoran it just seemed so simple, so easy.

"So, you must live close by." It was more of a question than a statement. He had gotten over his initial shock and now curiosity had won him over. 

She paused, playing with her hair, which was an interesting shade of brown and hung down to below her waist, and chewed on her bottom lip. "You could say so," she answered carefully, averting her gaze. Syaoran couldn't work her out. One minute she was friendly and open, the next she was withdrawn and secretive. _Never trust something that bleeds for five days and still doesn't die, _he reminded himself with a little laugh. It had been the one thing Ichiro had said in the whole time that Syaoran had known him that had tickled his funny bone. There was hope for the guy after all. 

He tried a different approach. If he was going to be stuck with the girl for a whole night he might as well get to know her better. "I haven't seen you around and I'm sure I know all the girls in the village." He hadn't meant to make it sound the way it had and he mentally cursed himself.

"I'm sure you do," she murmured with a polite smile.

_Oooh. Shot down._

"What I meant was," Syaoran cleared his throat as he tried to redeem himself, "well, there are so many questions – who _are _you and what are you doing here? I mean, I know _I'm_ here because my friends are stupid morons, but I don't think that's your case."

"No." The girl shook her head and smiled wistfully. "That's not the case. I have a true friend – A…_a friend for life_." 

Syaoran frowned. Strange. He was sure she had put an extra emphasis on the last part. But why would she do something like that? And he _was_ tired after all, though he tried to hide it. He stifled a yawn and tried to find a comfortable position on the ground. To his surprise the earth was soft and yielding beneath his weight. Now it would be harder to keep awake and he wanted to keep on talking to the girl. 

She intrigued him, perhaps even owed her his life – who knew what would have happened to him if she hadn't chanced upon him like that? – and a little voice inside his head was still a little wary. 

After all, you couldn't completely trust a person in the space of an hour or so, and Syaoran had always found it harder than most to completely trust a person. His entire life had not been built on complete trust and he'd learnt not to take anything on face value.

"What do you like to do?" he found himself asking, more so to keep him occupied. He could feel his eyelids drawing closed of their own accord, no matter how hard he willed them open. 

He didn't hear her answer. Her voice seemed to come from far away and all he heard were jumbled, incoherent murmurs and soft whispers before he lost himself completely in the blackness…

  The birds cawed him awake and for the second time in the span of a day he found himself alone in the woods. For a moment everything was like a jumbled jigsaw puzzle with all the pieces all over the place, but slowly everything clicked just right and the fog lifted from his muddled brain. The girl…

He bolted upright, scanning his surroundings. Strange how everything looked so different now that it was morning and the sun was out. He frowned and looked up as a cherry blossom landed gracefully on the tip of his nose. 

A supple, willowy cherry blossom tree towered over him with slender branches waving lightly to him as the wind rippled through its blossoms.  It seemed to cradle him gently, like a mother would its child. Why hadn't he noticed it last night?

"Syaoran!"

The call was faint but he recognised the voice almost instantly. 

"Yukito, I'm over here!"

A few moments later a silvery-haired youth peered at him from behind the protection of a tree. Syaoran didn't show emotion very often, but when he got angry, he got _really _angry and Yukito sure as hell didn't want to be caught in it. "Please don't hurt me."

Syaoran let his shoulders sag. Last night he'd wanted to throttle them all. Today he just didn't have the energy.

"Come on, Yukito," he sighed. "Lead us back to town."

He cast one last searching look at the clearing, before he turned his back and followed his friend out.

===========================

Hope you liked it. It's a little short, but I'm still sorta working on the characters. The interesting stuff comes soon, I promise. Clow Reed fits into the picture more than you think. The title of this chapter is a bit ambiguous, but see if you can figure out what the hidden message was. And I'll love you forever. :)

Eh, I don't know about you guys, but the part where Syaoran meets Sakura for the first time seems a little…I dunno. It doesn't flow really well, but I rewrote it over and over again and that was the best I could get without dragging on. Oh, and the quote about never trusting a girl is not mine, though I'm not exactly sure whose it is. If anybody knows, please tell me. 

The poor defenseless deer thing. Looking back, that's really gross. Ooooh, yuk. 

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SUPPORT! 3 

Responses to Reviews 

 **Summer Rain: **Yes, I remember you. Of course I do. ^^ I guess since it's supposed to be a bit mysterious it'll also be a bit confusing. Hopefully everything will be cleared up soon. The thing is that Sakura is what the story revolves around but she rarely gets an actual speaking part unless she's with Syaoran so you'll never actually get what happened to _her._ Just various accounts on what other people say have happened to her. Ehhhh….now I'm confused. -_-;;

**Miss Qui Chen: **Yes. I owe AngelSweetie a lot for this one. She thought of the Sakura turning into a cherry blossom tree thing. I just elaborated with a surrounding plot and setting.  ^^; It's true. My writing is a bit rough around the edges. It's been ages since I've written anything besides a persuasive essay. ::sigh::

**Sakura: **Glad you liked it! Thanks for your review. :)

**AngelSweetie: **Huggles you! 'Big sis' I couldn't do this without you, you know. Anyway, well you must have been going crazy or something 'coz I didn't delete it. It's called changing your name, dahhhhhhling. :P I wanted to see how often you checked it and how long it would take you to realise. But it's all good now, isn't it? Anyway, what about you, you hypocrite? It's not like _you're _updating or anything! 

**Jaina: **Thank you very much. Thanks for your review! I appreciate it a lot. :)

**Dragonstar03: **Glad you think so. Thanks for your review.

**SweetCherryBlossom: **Well, I didn't update soon, but it's all good right? I mean, it beats my record of my other stories in which I didn't update for six months I think. -_-;; Anyway, thanks for your review.

**Umi: **Thank you, thank you, thank you. ::huggles you::

**DrEaMgAzEr: **Well, the plot idea goes to AngelSweetie. The Sakura turning into a cherry blossom tree was mainly her idea. I just elaborated with the setting and time period. Thanks a bunch!

**Evil Emzo-chan: **::glomp:: Ahhhh! I'm not dead! ::pinches herself:: See?! But I don't see _you _updating. No sirr-eeee. Nope. Okay, well now you owe me lollipops! AHAHAHHA!


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